New Zealand PM Luxon highlights Indian community’s role, strengthens ties with India  

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon underlined the significant contributions of the Indian community in New Zealand while on an official visit to India. He emphasised that Indian-Kiwis play a crucial role in the country’s economy and society, being the third-largest ethnic group, the largest source of skilled migrants, and the second-largest source of international students.
  
Luxon, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for a five-day visit, is leading the largest-ever New Zealand delegation to India, comprising business and community leaders. The delegation’s aim is to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties between the two nations. Cricketers Ajaz Patel and Ross Taylor were also seen accompanying the Prime Minister.
  
During his visit, Luxon met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, discussing the growing partnership between India and New Zealand. Jaishankar welcomed Luxon’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations and highlighted India’s strategic role in the Indo-Pacific region. Luxon reaffirmed this sentiment, stating that both countries share a vision of a “stable, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”
  
A key highlight of Luxon’s visit is his role as the chief guest and keynote speaker at the 10th edition of the Raisina Dialogue, India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, held from March 17 to 19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the event, with discussions expected to cover global security, trade, and regional stability.
  
Today, Luxon is scheduled to meet PM Modi at Hyderabad House in Delhi, where the leaders will oversee the exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). He will also meet President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan later in the day. 
  
In a significant development ahead of the Modi-Luxon talks, India and New Zealand announced the launch of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signaling a new phase in their economic partnership.

Diplomatic relations between the two nations date back to 1952, with shared values of democracy, common law practices, and strong cultural ties, particularly in sports such as cricket and hockey. New Zealand’s engagement with India was reinforced in its “Opening Doors to India” policy, first introduced in 2011 and reiterated in 2015.